Find out how popular the last name Sully is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Sully.

Sully, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Sully surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sully in America

Sully is the 30767th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sully surname appeared 757 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Sully.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sully to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Sully

The surname Sully originated in France, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is believed to have been derived from the Old French word "souille," which means "mud" or "swamp." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a marshy or muddy area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sully can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name is listed as "Suilli," which is thought to be an early spelling variation.

In the 12th century, a notable figure named Henri de Sully (c. 1135-1195) was the Bishop of Le Mans and later the Archbishop of Bourges in France. He played a significant role in the construction of the iconic Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris.

The surname Sully gained further prominence in the 16th century with Maximilien de Béthune, Duke of Sully (1560-1641), who served as a trusted minister and advisor to King Henry IV of France. He was known for his military prowess, financial reforms, and memoirs detailing his life and service to the king.

Another notable individual with the surname Sully was Thomas Sully (1783-1872), an American portrait painter of English descent. He is renowned for his lifelike portraiture of distinguished figures, including Thomas Jefferson and Queen Victoria.

In the 20th century, James Sully (1842-1923), a British psychologist and philosopher, made significant contributions to the field of child psychology with his studies on the development of children's minds and their sense of humor.

The surname Sully has also been associated with various place names, such as Sully-sur-Loire, a commune in the Loiret department of north-central France, and Sully County, located in South Dakota, United States, which was named after Alfred Sully, a military officer during the American Civil War.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sully

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Sully.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Sully was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Sully has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Sully was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Sully, please contact us.

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